School Refusal Information

What is School Refusal?

School refusal occurs when a student will not go to school or frequently experiences severe distress related to school attendance. Students exhibiting signs of school refusal may cry everyday before school or before going to the bus, the may have trouble sleeping on school nights

Symptoms

Children and adolescents experiencing school refusal may experience symptoms just before it is time to leave for school, they may make frequent visits to the school nurse and they may refuse to leave the house. Typically, symptoms clear quickly once the student learns he/she does not have to attend or stay in school, though these symptoms will recur quickly with the next day’s attendance. Some common symptoms include:

• Headaches
• Stomaches
• Nausea
• Diarrhea

What Can Parents Do?

Here are some tips for parents who have kids experiencing school refusal:

• Keep your kid in school
• Talk with your child about their fears, feelings and concerns
• Emphasize the the positive aspects of attending school
• Work with the School Counselor to get support, resources and direction
• Encourage hobbies and interests
• Help to define and develop a support system for your child (consider family, friends, neighbors, teachers, etc)